Olympic king Peaty’s entry in Bangor event is hailed as a coup
FORMER World Swimmer of the Year Adam Peaty will be the main attraction at next month’s annual Dave McCullagh International meet in Bangor Aurora.
World and Olympic champion Peaty has been the king of breaststroke for the past five years and is favourite to land a clean sweep at this year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Former Irish and Ulster president Betty Beattie hailed the entry of Peaty as “a real coup” for the event (February 20-23), which will also see the best local swimmers going up against Olympic silver medallists Duncan Scott and Siobhan Marie O’Connor and World medallists Hannah Miley, Ross Murdoch and James Wilby.
The McCullagh International will mirror Tokyo 2020 timings with evening heats and morning finals as some of the best in the world count down to their bid for Olympic qualification.
Irish swimming stalwart Beattie added: “We’ve had some of the best swimmers come here on and off throughout the years. I remember Mark Foster coming to compete when the Lisburn pool was first opened — that was about 20 years ago. To have Adam Peaty coming is terrific, a real coup.
“It will be great for the young swimmers to have a chance to see someone like him who’s at the very top of the sport.”
While top Irish breaststroke ace Darragh Greene will relish standing alongside Peaty on the Bangor blocks, the event will also give Belfast’s Jack McMillan the opportunity of competing against Olympic medallist Scott.
McMillan, of Bangor ASC, is one of the rising stars of Irish swimming and he will clearly gain a lot from the experience of mixing it with Scott.
The meet will be a key part of the countdown to the Irish Long Course Championships in April at the National Aquatic Centre, which is the only designated meet for Olympic qualification.